Mama's Day

This year on Mother's Day I felt an enormous amount of gratitude - grateful to be the mother of one amazing girl already, and grateful for the new baby that will make me a mother of two. 

I also felt gratitude for the gifts. And for the opportunity to be treated like a queen by hanging it over my family's heads that they needed to wait on me. Because it's Mother's Day afterall. Can you please get me another soda?  And don't forget the ice.   

Michael was in Michigan for work the week leading up to Mother's Day.  He didn't mention the upcoming holiday at all and I was concerned he didn't actually realize it was approaching.  So I took matters into my own hands and purchased a chicken pot pie for my dinner.

And then I dropped it on the ground while extracting it from the trunk.

I nearly wept.

But don't worry...my dear husband awoke early on Saturday morning after a long day of travel the night before and purchased a replacement.  He even cooked it on Mother's Day.  It was delicious and I ate like a horse.

Much to my delight, he also bought me a surprise.  And Kitty made me the best drawing of the Northern Lights.  And she answered questions about me at church.  We won't dwell on the fact that she thinks I'm 47.  When I told her that it's actually her father who is that ancient, she replied, "Well, I knew it was one of you." It's always Michael who is the geezer.  Always.

We had a delightful day of games and relaxing.  Kitty even braved touching my swollen feet and painted my toenails.

It was bliss.

And next year I'll get double the love because I'll have 2 kids.  2!

Happy Mother's Day to me!

Pregnancy News

We've made it to 34 weeks of pregnancy.  I'm beginning to have those nervous feelings of, "Oh, crap.  I have to actually deliver this baby," and "Oh, crap.  I have to actually be up at night with this baby," and "Oh, crap.  I have to stop eating like a horse once this baby arrives."

There are a lot of emotions at once.

So here is how it's going at 34-ish weeks:

• I decided to stop going to the high risk OB.  I didn't love that he made me feel anxious and nervous about all the "what-if's." Everything has been normal so far and I don't think it's necessary to monitor everything as closely as they desired.  For crying out loud, let me just enjoy being pregnant!  I had a long conversation with my medically-trained sissy about it first. Once I nixed all that excess noise I felt empowered and more calm.  It was absolutely the correct decision.
• Baby measured at approximately 4 pounds, 14 ounces at our most recent ultrasound and was active.  Baby's growth slowed a bit and is now measuring a week behind schedule, but it's not anything to be concerned about.  (I'm certain that I just need to eat more food.  More Shire horse portion and less Clydesdale portion.)  
• I'm feeling very pressurized in the lower abdomen and restful sleep evades me.
• My ministering sisters threw me a baby shower.  The women in my ward were so generous that it brought tears to my eyes.  I'm grateful for the sisterhood of the gospel and that I have an army of good women behind me. The stack of thank-you cards I wrote was humbling.
• My sissy made the baby a bubble quilt and my niece made a romper.  I cherish their gifts crafted with love.
• I think we've finally picked out names.  I think.  I need to let them simmer a bit more before I'm certain they are the ones.  I'll get back to you on that.

I can finally see the tape stretched across the finish line!

May the 4th

You know the nerds didn't let May 4th pass by uncelebrated.  You know they had already made plans for the important day a month in advance. It was a "May the 4th be With You" celebration sponsored by the town of Jonesborough. You know they brought their light sabers and Kitty dressed up as Rey.  

You also know that despite Booney's lukewarm attitude, it was actually a good time.  There is something endearing about nerds and their fervor.  The majority of people were dressed up and these strangers all milled around and chatted as if they were old friends.  Old, nerd friends.  Yes, the 4th was definitely with us that day.      

We couldn't stay for the entire event because Kitty had a soccer game, but we played for a couple of hours and had fun regardless.  Kitty completed a Jedi training course, we enjoyed arcade games, mined for precious stones, had pizza from another galaxy, pet a Tauntaun, and tried to shake a semi-annoying Mickey Mouse that kept photobombing us.  My favorite part of the event was the green sherbet drink.  I've been on a sherbet kick ever since.  

We lost track of time and Kitty had to frantically switch from Rey to soccer star in the backseat of the car as we drove to her match.  But they won the game so it was a successful day all around.

Happy Nerd Day!

May the sherbet be with you. 

Final Hurrah

My niece came to visit.  She's been doing this every year since she was 10.  Now she's 21.  Her initial visit those many years ago was to help me with Kitty when we first moved to Oregon and I was trying to unpack with a 5-month-old.  I loved having her around so much that it morphed into an annual tradition.  

I have cherished every minute of those precious weeks with her through the years.

This trip was a milestone.  You see, Britta is getting married soon.  She's also beginning nursing school in the fall and life is moving into a different phase for her.  That phase won't include summertime trips to Booney's house - at least not in the same way.  It makes me teary to think about life changing. But I'm also teary with joy when I think of the life that she has awaiting her.  I have watched her grow from a child into a remarkable adult, and that is a marvelous blessing. 

My week with Britta was everything I hoped it would be.  She is a pleasure to be around.  She makes me laugh.  She catches me up on all the gossip and helps me understand her generation.  We have open and honest conversations about life.  She makes me feel loved.  She's my buddy for binge-watching TV shows that no one in my family will indulge in with me.  She makes my heart light up in the most wonderful way and I love her dearly.

So what did we do with Britta?  Well, unfortunately she was sick for a couple of days and her 14-year streak of not vomiting was ruined.  She also had 3 final exams to take and that ate up some of our time together.  But! We had a great time nonetheless.  We went to Dollywood and Britta was a good sport about riding the big coasters with Michael even though her stomach was still iffy.  The day was fun and wore out our 2 little lambs.

On another day we stuffed our faces with donuts.

And we celebrated her 21st birthday with sushi and cotton candy ice cream.

We also spent a few hours searching for face serums and potions at TJ Maxx and Ulta Beauty so Britta can look 30 when she turns 50.  I, on the other hand, will probably look 90 when I turn 50.

The week was over too quickly but I'm incredibly grateful for our one last hurrah.

I sure love that girl.

Older Still

Michael had another birthday this year.  It seems to happen every year.  This time he decided to turn 47.

Let that sink in for a moment.

So what do you buy for a 47-year-old man who has expensive taste and operates in a world you largely don't understand?  Why, you get him a knife forging experience!  Be sure to make it a surprise though.  Be advised...when he awakes in the morning complaining that his back hurts, you will feel nervous that he won't actually be able to make a knife.  Forge ahead anyway. 

But first you should make him Mandalorian-shaped waffles for breakfast so he has energy to swing that hammer.

It was an incredibly clever and well-received gift!  Despite his agony over the amount of strength it took to make a railroad tie into a knife, he and Kitty had a marvelous time.  Did I mention that you should include Kitty in this adventure?  Well, you should. 

After my bladesmiths successfully finished their creations, we hit up the salt water taffy store and then went to lunch at a mighty tasty restaurant.  I guess it's alright for an old man to fill his arteries with grease on his birfday.

We then drove to the airport to pick up my niece and spent the evening watching a movie.  It was a good day all around.

The next morning was Michael's actual day of birth.

I made biscuits and gravy to further cement his arteries.  Kitty used her new knife to cut open the biscuits for her dad.

Then I gave him ice cream that I had shipped from that place in Chattanooga he's fond of.  And THEN I gave him his very own hoverboard.  An old man on a motorized toy...nothing could possibly go wrong.

After church we dined on steak and artichokes, and enjoyed the ice cream in homemade waffle bowls.  Kitty also surprised the ol' guy with an electronic Harry Potter themed card that she coded herself.  Her father beamed with pride.

Man!  I'm pretty good at this whole birthday thing.

Happy 47th to Mykey!

Nerd Outing

Once upon a time, 2 nerds went to a nerd convention.  It was called the Maker Faire, and it attracted a variety of makers and tinkerers.  

It did not attract Booney.

Booney was not interested in wandering around all day looking at nerd projects.  If Booney is going to endure swollen ankles all day, it needs to be for something more worthwhile...like a tour of an ice cream factory.  Where you get to eat ice cream at the end.

So Kitty and Papa Nerd went on the adventure together alone.  It was an exciting adventure for them, and they came home from the Faire with stories of 3D printed life-sized droids and self-made rockets that could fly high into the air.  Kitty was able to solder a pin for her shirt that flashed lights and made a rocket that flew higher than anyone else's.  It was sensational and worth every second.

Booney was happy for them.  She was also happy that she was able to stay home in her pajamas all day, baking brownies and watching a movie that no one complained about.

What a perfect Saturday.

Kitty and Michael have plans to attend another Maker Faire in the future.  It really was a cool event for people who are creative builders.  Kitty was incredibly excited and animated as she relayed all of the day's activities and marvels to me.  It made me smile.

Oh, and did I mention that Michael was captivated by the droids and is now building his own life-sized R2D2?

Well, he is. And it will only take a few months and cost the equivalent of about 6 Honey Baked Hams.

Thanks, Maker Faire.

Easta

Ah, Easter.  It's a time of celebrating the resurrection of our Savior, the arrival of Spring, and a chance to eat a hundred dollar ham.

Wait.  What?

That's right.  I bought a ham that cost 100 bones. It was an accident really.  I decided to try a ham from the Honey Baked Ham company, not realizing that they line their pigs with gold.  I moseyed into the store one day and proclaimed to the woman working the register that I wanted to buy an Easter ham.  She rummaged through the refrigerator behind the counter, plopped a ham down, and announced my total. I nearly shouted in her face, "Are you crazy?!  It's a ham!"  Good thing I had a $5 off coupon...

But -  the ham was actually incredibly tasty.  Michael is still talking about it.  I guess if you consider that we ate it for 3 meals, left some with my cousin, and made a breakfast casserole for a ward gathering with it, 100 doll-hairs for porky kind of seems justifiable.

Kind of.   

I suppose I'll call this our Easter of extravagance!  In addition to the lavish pig, we loaded our Easter with a myriad of fun activities.  Like a festival and egg hunt in a neighboring town.  Kitty was able to eat cotton candy, pet baby goats, and make new friends while we waited for the hunt to begin.  Aside from the 100 mile-an-hour winds, it was a beautiful spring day.  The only downside was that the egg hunt was indeed not a hunt at all.  The kids lined up around the perimeter of the lawn and the woman in charge dumped a box of Easter eggs into the middle of the lawn and shouted, "Go!" The entire thing lasted 10 seconds and Kitty only managed to elbow her way into scoring 5 eggs.  But she seemed happy nonetheless as she swapped items with her new friends.  Thankfully, our condo board put on a real hunt the following week and she was able to fill her basket there.

On Easter Sunday, Kitty relished in her gifts from her Dad...I mean...the Easter Bunny, we dyed eggs, and then took our regal ham to my cousin's house for dinner.  It was a wonderful day indeed.  The Easter Bunny even managed to gift Kitty a music box that plays the Star Wars theme song.  I didn't know that rabbit was such a nerd.  

Happy Easter!